Toronto police sergeant on raids: 'Nothing to do with Rob Ford'

A Toronto police raid involving 50 police vehicles, including SUVs and Budget rental trucks, hit the area of Etobicoke Thursday where it's alleged a video with Rob Ford smoking crack was made. However, a police sergeant said it's not connected to Ford.

The Toronto Star reported police Sgt. Chris Laush told residents in the area of Dixon Rd. where condominiums were raided, that the raids had “...nothing to do with Rob Ford." Besides condominiums in that area, at least one nearby home was raided.

Police executed some 30 warrants and men were seen being lead away in handcuffs in the early morning raid. Items removed from residences included computers and cell phones. Muhammad Khattak's home on Mercury Rd., near the Dixon Rd. complexes that were raided, was also raided but it was unclear if Khattak was taken into custody.

Photo of Ford and deceased Anthony Smith

Khattak's home is the home where a photo of Rob Ford and two men, one now deceased, was believed to have been taken. Along with Ford and Khattak in the photo, which was taken outside, is 21-year-old Anthony Smith, shot and killed on Toronto streets last March; Khattak survived that same shooting after being hit in the arm and back. The Khattak home is suspected of being a crack house.

The photo of Smith, Ford and Khattak was given first to an online American political media website Gawker, when the site's editor, John Cook, claims he was shown a video of Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. The same photo was also given to two Toronto Star reporters who say they watched the video three times. The name of person who possessed the video is either not known to police or has not been revealed.

This morning, Ford arrived at City Hall saying his cable was out and he had woken up not knowing about the raid. He said the police, who are holding a press conference about the raids, did not inform him about it.